Behind the Book by Jacquelyn Mitchard

When is a series not a series? The easy answer is . . . when I write it. But the real answer is more complicated. Now, they say that a sequel for a writer is the last refuge of a scoundrel. But it’s not a sequel when the primary character is—well, when she has to share the stage.Far more accomplished writers than I (Louise Erdrich and William Faulkner, to whom I’m not...

Striking back

As a longtime reporter and newspaper columnist, Jacquelyn Mitchard couldn't help but wonder what happens to victims of high-profile violence after the headlines fade away and the camera crews disappear. In her powerful new novel, Cage of Stars, the Swan family—what's left of it—is wading through its grief after a deeply disturbed...

Inside an American family

Author Jacquelyn Mitchard offers an intriguing study of a quintessential American family in her latest novel, The Breakdown Lane. Julianne Gillis, upper-crust daughter of a famed New York author, works as an advice columnist for the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, newspaper. She and her husband Leo Steiner, an attorney, are the parents of teenagers Gabe and Caro and toddler Rory. Julianne is happy with...

ith a bolt-from-the-blue opening sentence, "They died instantly," Jacquelyn Mitchard grabs hold of her readers and pulls them into a story of love, heartache, tragedy and triumph in her latest novel, A Theory of Relativity. As evidenced in her previous bestsellers, The Deep End of the Ocean and The Most Wanted, Mitchard proves beyond a doubt that she ranks as a premier storyteller. Keefer...

Pfeiffer pounces on Oprah favorite

In an industry which frequently treats actresses like chattel—props to enhance leading men—Michelle Pfeiffer is an anomaly. After making her mark with her show-stopping beauty in movies including Scarface and Ladyhawke, she won over the critics and garnered a trio of Oscar nominations in movies including The Fabulous Baker Boys. She's had crowd-pleasing stints, too—as via...